“See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek that which is good for one another and for all people.” 1 Thessalonians 5:15 AMP

First as a medic in the military, and then as a nurse, I’ve learned firsthand about the various wounds that can afflict the human body. It’s astounding and sometimes overwhelming to consider the sheer volume and variety of injuries that can occur, and there are just as many names to go with their unsightly counterparts. Bruises, contusions, gashes, cuts, scrapes, incisions, abrasions, lacerations, avulsions, and so on. Wounds can occur by accident when someone trips and falls or bumps into something they didn’t see in their way. Wounds can occur intentionally, say from a needed surgical procedure, or when one person purposefully inflicts bodily harm to another. Wounds can occur from poor care or neglect, as with a pressure ulcer which can form quickly on someone with mobility issues.

No matter what type of wound exists, it requires effort and time in order to heal. Every wound is different, and every wound heals differently depending on the health of the owner and their compliance with the wound care instructions. In the medical world, wounds can be so tricky to deal with, there is an entire nursing specialty devoted to the art of wound care. Wound Ostomy Continence Nurses (WOCN) are a highly valued group, especially when you are blessed with one who is truly gifted. They are the ones who get down and dirty with wounds, and their experience becomes more and more valuable, especially when dealing with a wound that is fighting the natural healing process.

The truth of the matter is that wounds aren’t pretty to look at, and for most people, they are hard to tolerate, whether from the outside looking in, or from the inside looking out. Mental, emotional, and spiritual wounds are just as challenging. In a lot of ways, they are even more difficult to deal with because they can’t be seen. This is frustrating, both for the person carrying the unseen wound, as well as for those who love them. It is in our nature to want to help when someone we care about is hurting, whether they’ve fallen down and scraped their knee or are aching from something deep down where we can’t see.

Regardless of whether the wound is physical or not, it will require time and care in order to facilitate proper healing. When we harden our hearts from old wounds that haven’t properly healed, we are weakened and at greater risk of allowing a less dramatic injury to our hearts to simply attach to the existing wound, making it difficult for us to realize that the two are not connected. Our spirits become infected from the old, improperly tended wound to our heart, and that infection will work hard to spread into any other dent or ding we receive. We live in so much pain from the old hurts, we lose our ability to tolerate the accidental bumps and bruises that come our way. When I have a patient who is in pain from one major physical upheaval, they struggle with even the smallest movements. A simple transfer from their bed to a chair feels like a full-on physical assault.

This is why it is so important for us to keep our eyes on God and not on the world. He is always going to be our greatest source of healing power. But, just as it is with physical wound care, we must be compliant with His instructions. He will help us heal in ways we can’t begin to imagine. No matter how He approaches our healing process, He knows better than anyone exactly what we need in order to truly heal.

What if you are someone who has been deeply hurt in the past by a person you thought truly loved you…a parent, a spouse, a sibling, a friend. If that wound runs deep enough and has never truly healed, how do you suppose God might approach wound care for your heart and spirit? Perhaps He would bring somebody into your life you came to trust and to love without reservation. He knows we are all human and we are going to make mistakes, no matter how hard we try not to…so He is well aware that at some point that person is going to hurt us. In fact, He’ll already know exactly when and how that will occur.

Just like a skilled wound care nurse, He knows an old wound won’t heal without the bad, infected portions being cleansed and removed. He knows this is going to be painful, but He also knows it’s the only path towards healing. But if we trust Him and His plan for our lives, we will find the strength to endure the pain, walk through it, and experience the deep sense of relief that comes with true healing. However, if we treat the new wound just as we have the old wounds from our past, then all we’ll be left with is a bigger wound than the one with which we started, and we will be in greater jeopardy when the next wound comes our way.

Healing is hard. Ask anyone who has endured it (which is just about anybody). The healing from a surgical procedure is always the hard part. So it is with the healing from broken hearts and spirits. But it’s doable…the path to that healing is God, and God is love. If you’re going through your own healing process, choose to let God do His work, which means choosing to let yourself be loved.

“For the message of the cross is foolishness [absurd and illogical] to those who are perishing and spiritually dead [because they reject it], but to us who are being saved [by God’s grace] it is [the manifestation of] the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18 AMP